A Mass of Christian Burial for 87-year old longtime Panhandle educator Dick Boness will be Friday, Feb 9th, 2024, at 10:00 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Alliance, NE with Father Matt Koperski officiating.
Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery in Alliance.
A wake will be held Thursday at 7:00 at Holy Rosary Catholic.
Dick always believed in giving kids every opportunity to succeed and in light of this, memorials may be given to the Alliance Public Schools Foundation for a scholarship to be set up in his honor.
Online condolences may be left at www.batesgould.com
Richard Wayne (Dick) Boness was born on Feb 25, 1936, in Alliance to William (Jake) and Louise (Coupens) Boness. He passed away on Friday, Feb 2, 2024 at Highland Park Memory Unit.
In 1960, Dick married Lorraine Holthus and together they had four children: Brett, Bernadine, Brigit, and Bill.
Dick was a gifted athlete who carried his passion for education and athletics throughout his life. He attended St Agnes Academy in Alliance and pursued higher education at Chadron State College in Chadron, NE.
Dick lettered in 4 sports in college – football, basketball, track, and baseball – but excelled in both football and track. He was proudly inducted into the Chadron State Athletic Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 1985.
His son Bill later followed him both to Chadron State and into the CSC Hall of Fame in 2007 for his exploits as a football player.
Dick’s commitment to education equaled or exceeded his commitment to athletics. After earning his Bachelor’s degree in Education at CSC, he later pursued and achieved a Master’s in Education Administration.
In 2019, Dick received the honor of induction into the Alliance Public Schools Hall of Fame as a Contributor for his dedicated service to Alliance High School.
Dick is survived by his wife Lorraine: children Brett (Teresa) Boness, Brigit (Jeff) Harris, and Bill Boness (fiancé Kelly Cox), and son-in-law Jon Briggs.
He is also survived by his grandchildren: Erika (Brian) Reed of Junction City, OR; Erinn Merrill (fiancé Storm Petersen); Jon (Beth) Briggs of Cheyenne, WY; Zach (Nicole) Boness of Gering, NE; Derek (Becky) Harris and Matt (Olivia) Harris of Gering; Lacy (Dallas) Helms; Josh Boness of Lincoln, NE; Megan Boness (fiancé Levi Burdick) of Cheyenne; and Beau Boness and Bella Boness; and great-grandchildren totaling 18.
Also surviving Dick are brother-in-law Tom Romick, sisters-in-law Dorothy Holthus and Jackie Holthus, sister-in-law and brother-in-law Willetta and Frank Dye, and many nieces and nephews.
Dick was preceded in death by his parents Jake and Louise Boness, in-laws George and Lena Holthus, sister Peg Romick, daughter Bernadine Briggs, and granddaughter Blythe Boness.
Bates-Gould Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.